Tag: stress at work

Deadlines? Hours? Pressure? A lot of things about people’s current work life can cause necessary stress. Knowing, managing and dealing with stress in the workplace has become a hot topic due to mental health awareness.

Often employees benefit from a certain level of stress at work to keep them motivated and organised. This is where the difficulty lies for the employer as they must assess when there is too much stress on the employee. Creating an environment whereby employees feel like they can talk about the pressures on themselves will help the company manage stress.

Industries such as Medical, Educational and Public Sector have all been highlighted as having higher than average rates of stress. The strain of stress is not only felt by the employee but also by the Company. Approximately 12 million working days were lost in 2016-2017 due to work related stress and depression.

Implementing new company initiatives is one way to reduce and manage stress:

1. Employee Assistance Programmes

EAP Schemes are a great way to provide extra support for employees who may not want to openly talk about the way they are feeling at work. Purchasing an Employee Assistance Programme will provide all employees with the opportunity to speak to a third party to discuss the workplace issues they are experiencing.

2. Encourage Break

Leading by example as a manager to take regular breaks has shown to improve work related stress. Taking half an hour break from your screen or task has been found to not only reduce employee stress but also improve nutritional habits, improve mood and allow yourself to relax.

3. Flexibility at Work

44% over people stated in 2015-2016 that workload was the greatest cause of stress at work. As companies become more productive and efficient work loads can often be mismanaged. It is important to regularly assess employee’s workloads and potentially offer more flexibility in terms of working hours and duties to lighten the burden.

The above aren’t the only ways to reduce stress. Identifying stress and finding its cause can often be difficult and it is important as an employee you tailor a solution to suit the employee. Doing so the employee will feel supported by the company and not isolated.

If you have any concerns in relation to work place stress contact our HR team who will be happy to support you.